Indeed, New Zealand is currently under a spell of Jacinda-Mania.
The seemingly uninterested non-voters and the youths, the Labour Party and above all the media are going gaga over the exuberance accompanied with this Jacinda-Mania.
The rise of Ms Ardern as Labour Leader is being seen as a stepping-stone for her becoming the youngest Prime Minister of the country since 1856.
About a week and a half ago, Jacinda Ardern was swiftly elevated as the Leader of the Labour Party as its last hope in a manner described as "bloodless coup" by Duncan Garner of the 7 a.m. show, deposing former Labour Leader Andrew Little and sending into political oblivion.
Since then Jacinda-Mania has swept across the nation, particularly the media, including this media-outlet as well.
While the mainstream media is, busy in predicting possible fallouts of Jacinda's momentous rise in New Zealand politics, which is largely indicating a scramble of votes on the left.
The question that may have escaped the attention of the mainstream media, and rightly though, is a question that ethnic communities in New Zealand might be tempted to ask - "what is in it for me" - in this Jacinda-Mania.
In fact, the ethnic community might also struggle to fully comprehend the excitement around Jacinda's rise in NZ politics, apart from the obvious X-factor. Stuff's political editor Wayne Perkins asserts that Ms Ardern has an X-factor, and so does many other commentators.
Therefore, The Indian Weekender is compelled to take a ringside view of Jacinda-Mania from the perspective of Kiwi-Indian community, and by logic, wider ethnic communities in New Zealand, who are also in most cases fall into the category called as ‘new’ migrants.
From the mainstream media's perspective, it is fashionable and completely reasonable to expect voters are camping in "left" or "right to centre" politics.
However, it is neither convenient nor desirable to view ethnic communities, Kiwi-Indian community, in this case, as broadly subscribing to "left or right-wing" politics.
To a large extent, it is safe to argue that these communities carry their votes from party to party and leader to leader every election to whom they identify as "warming up" to them and responding to their pressing needs of the day.
It is not because of any perceived inability to associate or commit to any ideology or ‘progressive politics’ as some experts might hurriedly conclude.
Currently, India – that many in Kiwi-Indian community consider as their original home - is taking giant strides in its fight against climate change and cutting down green house emissions by leap-frogging into adapting clean-green technologies, which clearly indicates that the people of Indian descent are not plagued by any systematic aversion to ‘progressive ideas’.
It is only that the adherents of the so called progressive ideas have not engaged effectively with the Kiwi-Indian community.
The nomadic electoral behaviour of these communities is primarily rooted in the fact of them being ‘new’ migrants in this country and the new social settings around them.
While their commitment to ideologies based on their old social settings in the original home may be getting gradually weakened, the connection with political ideologies in their chosen new home - New Zealand - may not have fully evolved, if at all.
It is just this fact that makes political parties difficult to maintain the ‘connect’ with the ethnic communities, which are largely new migrants, purely on the basis of ideologies and progressive ideas.
In that regard, new migrants do not neatly fall into political demarcation of voters as social democrats, urban middle class, working class, social-liberals, or for that matter socially conservatism or green activism.
However, it is not to suggest that this in any way dis-incentivise them unreasonably to participate in the political process of the country.
A working class ethnic migrant’s or an urban middle-class ethnic migrant’s political leaning might be tempered by many other things beyond the scope of left-wing politics.
Jacinda’s rise and scramble for left votes
In the first two weeks after elevation as the leader of the Labour Party Jacinda Ardern has demonstrated a propensity, and rightly so, of reaching out specifically to the so called “left wing” voters which many believe have drifted further left towards the Green Party.
The two major policy announcements so far, one about Auckland’s public transport and the other about clean rivers and New Zealand’s environment, apart from other key political messaging such as ruling out Green Party Co-Leader Metiria Turei from a cabinet position in any future Labour led government has been targeted to scramble for left wing voters.
There is nothing wrong in itself as these prospective voters form Labour’s core constituency and it was largely expected.
What was also largely expected was media’s exuberance on reporting about Jacinda’s policy launch, notably the announcement of bringing forward Auckland light-rail from CBD to the airport on Sunday, August 6. The media has noted everything “relentlessly positive” about that event.
Whereas media reporting of National Party’s hurriedly arranged policy announcement couple of hours later on the same day in South Auckland, on heavy rail and public transport, by Prime Minister Bill English and a battery of Minister and parliamentarians received flak for being cold and snobby, as should be expected from any third successive term government.
Once again, nothing completely unusual about this, as it is more a matter of prerogative and choices, which can differ just like Labour’s and National’s choices about Motorways and City-rails as proposed solutions for Auckland’s public transport woes.
However, what was notable was the difference in commitment, or perceived commitment, towards the new migrants.
What is in it for ethnic communities?
While Labour’s public transport policy announcement had visible representation from MPs from central Auckland, inner suburbs, and constituencies as far as Manukau East and Mangere in South Auckland, which largely presented faces from Pakeha, Pacifica and Maori communities – any prominent new migrant ethnic community faces were conspicuously absent.
In contrast, the National Party event which received media flak had more visible representation from the Kiwi-Indian and Chinese communities – a fact largely missed in all mainstream media commentaries about the two events.
This is not permanent and can certainly change in future but at least for now provides an answer to the imaginative question passing through minds of new ethnic migrants – what’s in it for me?
This when compared with the fact that we are very much into the second week out of the total available seven weeks time after Jacinda’s anointment as the new Leader of the Labour Party, which roughly corresponds to 25 per cent of the total time available time before election, there has not been any major policy announcement or outreach to the new migrants in New Zealand.
The issues that affect these communities majorly – such as immigration and law and order has largely escaped Jacinda Ardern led leadership team’s attention.
Given the fact that these ethnic communities roughly correspond to about 15 per cent of the total population, which if catered appropriately, could have a decisive impact in this election.
In this regard, it will be interesting to see how Jacinda Ardern led newly rejuvenated Labour Party chose to engage with new migrant ethnic communities.